Duck Soup (1933)

The review hails the film as a barbed, subtle attack on war, politics and American triumphalism timed perfectly for a 1933 BFI re-release. It singles out the mirror scene as possibly the greatest physical comedy routine in slapstick history along with the relentless one-liners.

The critic calls it one of the Marx Brothers' best films and a zenith of their work, praising the frenetic pace of the routines and Leo McCarey's direction in sharpening their satire.

Duck Soup stands as the Marx Brothers' closest approach to a masterpiece, a wildly funny 1933 satire of dictatorship and war whose themes remain relevant. It features their signature mirror routine and exemplifies their anarchic comic brilliance.

The critic calls it a comedy masterpiece that reaches peaks of anarchic brilliance, with Groucho as a Ruritanian leader sparking war over battlefield rent. He praises the witty exchanges with Margaret Dumont and the surreal mirror sequence as key highlights.

The critic calls Duck Soup the Marx Brothers’ best and one of the funniest sound-era black-and-white comedies, crediting McCarey’s light touch for its irreverent satire of militarism, politicians and patriotism. He also highlights the film’s perfect comic timing and rapid pacing.

The critic recalls first seeing the film in the 1960s and notes its enduring status as a classic of anarchic comedy, highlighting the rapid-fire jokes and the ensemble cast including Margaret Dumont.

The piece presents Duck Soup as a classic Marx Brothers comedy directed by Leo McCarey, highlighting its anarchic humor and satirical take on war and nationalism as enduring highlights of their Paramount era.

The review praises Duck Soup for its relentless jokes and chaotic energy over any thin plot, singling out Chico and Harpo's anarchic bits and the film's metatheatrical subversion of straight men and authority figures as what makes it timelessly funny.

The Marx Brothers' 1933 film is a brazen, surreal satire of tinpot nationalism and political pomposity. Its inspired silliness and vaudeville energy still resonate, even if modern audiences need some acclimatisation to the style.

The Marx Brothers remain reliably entertaining in their familiar style, with the picture being slight but not needing elaborate staging. Moments without them are the main annoyance in an otherwise enjoyable comedy.

The film delivers typical Marx Brothers humor that should please audiences seeking laughs. It features strong situational comedy and the classic mirror routine, making it a crowd-pleaser despite a thin story.

The production relies more on broad bludgeon humor than wit, resulting in a noisy film that is less mirthful than prior Marx Brothers efforts. Some welcome ideas and the cast's zeal provide occasional highlights.

The critic hails Groucho Marx's monologue in Duck Soup as the greatest ever performed, superior to Hamlet's soliloquy for its wit, emotional range, and political insight. He praises the film's prescient satire on fascism and its anarchic perfection under Leo McCarey's direction.

The review of the Marx Brothers DVD set including Duck Soup finds the films' slapstick, satire and imagination still influential but gives them an ambivalent rating because modern comedies deliver more consistent laughs. It highlights their debt to Freudian ideas and early 20th-century thought.